


Soleil

by spazioaether



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, M/M, The second two pairings are pretty much only mentioned, other characters only mentioned while working
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-03-31 02:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3961606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spazioaether/pseuds/spazioaether
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the past month Gilbert Beilschmidt went to the park to eat his lunch. What he was not expecting was befriending a bird as a friend, only to find out the bird was a shifter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A fine feathered friend.

**Author's Note:**

> I am going on a trip to France for a study abroad class for about ten days. So instead of just working on a new chapter for Shoulder To Sleep On, I decided to go ahead and work on this as well. This is going to be nine official chapters and a sort of epilogue at the end. I might add a few more scenes in an eleventh chapter of fluff or something if I feel like it. Anyway, I should have another chapter for Shoulder To Sleep On ready before I fly out on Tuesday. I will be writing on my trip, just won't be able to post anything during that time. But that just means I should have stuff to type up when I get back home! Anyway, enjoy the story!

Breathing in the fresh air, Gilbert checked his watch. He had an hour for his lunch break and instead of spending it in the office eating like most of his co-workers, he decided to find a nice place in the shade of the local park in New York City. Being in the direct sunlight without the protection of trees made him miss his home in Germany and the area he lived in. It was nothing like the constant bustle of the city life here in New York. He knew taking on the job as an office worker here would be different, but he needed the money to help his little brother, Ludwig, go to school. After their Groβvater took Gilbert and Ludwig in because of the death of their parents. Gilbert knew there was no extra money to flaunt around. Gilbert was lucky he even got a job after completing his required school years. It was thanks to their Onkel Fritz, Gilbert got an eye for detail. It was just an office job and mundane, but Gilbert made the most of it. Thanks to his persistence with his job, he was able to land the job in New York. Yet, he always felt as if something was missing. It was the lonely apartment he came home to.

An unoccupied bench sat under a large oak tree. The leaves cast a comfortable shadow to keep Gilbert’s delicate skin from turning a bright fiery red and burn. His albino mutation made normal sunny days hell on earth if he did not wear sunscreen. Gilbert had grown up being outside and enjoying what the world had to offer because of the shade from the trees back home. Most of the busy people on the sidewalks and streets never seemed to stop and enjoy the day. Gilbert found that rather upsetting.

The worst were the coffee shops. The first time he tried to order something, the barista grew angry at him because he was having a hard time picking a flavour. The drink ended up being way too sweet for him in the long run. But what bothered him was the lack of sitting space to enjoy the coffee in nothing more than a paper cup.

Walking off the beaten path, Gilbert trudged to the bench, dreading the return to work. In his hands was a small paper bag with homemade lunch and a water bottle in the other. Setting both items next to him, Gilbert rolled up his sleeves after he draped his jacket on the bench. He then watched the people around the park.

There were several mothers hoarding children around, a few with strollers or newborn babies strapped to their bodies as they called to other children. The barking of a dog held Gilbert’s attention. The golden retriever fetched a Frisbee its owner threw. Tail wagging, the dog brought the toy happily to its master, only to repeat the ritual several more times. The retriever reminded Gilbert of his three dogs, Berlitz, Aster, and Blackie, back home with Ludwig. He wondered if they were still going for a run every day. Knowing Ludwig and his like for routines, the dogs would be doing fine. Chuckling to himself, Gilbert decided it was about time to finally start eating or he would miss lunch and starve until he got home later. But when his hand moved toward the bag, a bundle of ruffled feathers shook out beside him. A small golden and black bird sat near his lunch. Awestruck, Gilbert wondered what he should do.

Birds frightened easily and technically birds were companions too, so to frightened the little thing would be cruel. On the other hand, Gilbert’s stomach grumbled in protest about having skipped breakfast to make it to work on time.

“Hello there Vögelchen. I just want to grab my lunch. I’m not going to hurt you,” Gilbert said gently as his hand crept to the bag.

The bird’s beady black eyes followed the movement for a fraction of a second before flitting towards a grassy patch by the bench. Sighing at the lost companion, Gilbert grabbed his lunch, and pulled out his sandwich. It was a simple turkey sandwich with lettuce and a tomato. After scarfing it down, he then pulled out a bag of berries and nuts, trail mix. When he glanced around once again, the hopping of the little bird from before caught his attention. Had it gotten closer? Feeling elated, Gilbert attempted to contain his delight. The bird was still far away and so he decided to toss a few pieces of dried berries to it. In moments the bird chirped lightly before it took to the food. Smiling, Gilbert watched the bird peck away happily. Most people would never understand the delight of feeding a bird because they were too busy doing something else.

“Vögelchen, would you like to be my companion?” Gilbert asked with a shake of his head. How had he been reduced to talking to a random bird in the park he doubted he would ever see again?

The golden bird hopped closer, cautious at first about the strawberry near Gilbert. Watching in fascination, the bird decided the berry was safe enough and came closer. The bird’s beak slowly turned a shade of pink.

“Would you like to hear about my morning at work so far?”

Gilbert had no idea why he started talking about the happenings of work, but it helped. He spoke about the trouble between a rather small Italian with a temper, whose twin worked on the same floor as Gilbert, had gotten into another fight with a Spaniard Gilbert went drinking with. He then steered the conversation toward a rather grumpy young British man who deemed most of the work Gilbert had written up so far, beneath the standards of English grammar. Considering Gilbert’s first language was German, Gilbert felt as if his English was rather exceptional.

“And so I had to hear all about how the Franny needed to keep his hands off Arthur. I don’t know who has more sexual tension, those two are Lovino and Antonio. Although Lovino is in denial about the whole being in love thing,” Gilbert said cackling. Sure his co-workers were friendly and fun to watch, but he still felt out of loop. Perhaps it was because he was still fairly new, or maybe it had something to with that crazy lady and her frying pan on the second floor.

And so it continued for the rest of the lunch hour. Gilbert talked to the bird, and the bird happily ate the fruits and nuts he tossed on the ground. It reminded Gilbert of the long walks he took with his dogs back home. How terribly he missed Germany now. Before Gilbert’s lunch hour was over, he had told the bird most of his reasons for coming to America and how much he hated his job, regardless of how the workers made it rather comical on good days. The bird listened with understanding in its beady eyes, ever watching Gilbert and his hand for more food.

“Well, I’m all out of food for today. Come back tomorrow and I’ll have more for you,” Gilbert said as he packed away the empty bags and stood up.

The bird chirped in response before taking flight. Following the bird with his eyes, Gilbert wondered what it would be like to fly with wings instead of in a metal contraption. He shrugged and headed back to work feeling a little lighter than when he left.

The next day Gilbert returned to the bench to find the bird sitting there, patiently waiting. Upon seeing Gilbert, the golden bird took flight to land on the grassy patch just as it had the day before. Cackling as softly as he possibly could, Gilbert sat down after taking off his coat.

“Waiting for food?” Gilbert asked. A chirp was his reply as Gilbert brought out the fruits and nuts. “Alright, well here you go.”

He tossed a few pieces to the bird before taking out his sandwich to eat. He spent the hour talking about what happened at work and told the bird to come back tomorrow if it wanted more food. Gilbert decided he liked to go to the park for lunch now.

 The routine continued for a good few weeks. Gilbert started bringing extra food to share with the Palm Warbler, which was the species of bird Vögelchen turned out to be. Having borrowed Antonio’s bird watching guide book, it took him until the end of the week to finally figure out the bird’s species. The Warbler would listen and wait unless a larger animal was too near the park bench for its liking. By the end of the second week, Gilbert was presented with gifts of acorns and other small trinkets from trees. The Warbler seemed to use the items as payment for the food. He never took until he started putting acorns in Gilbert’s lap before eating any food. He would come up to Gilbert’s hand, but not quite take food from him. He decided instead of just using the name Warbler or bird for his companion, he called him Vögelchen. Yet, when Gilbert went to the park bench after a long morning, a month later, there was no gift or sight of Vögelchen.

Sitting on the bench, Gilbert felt lonely. The one-sided talks were therapeutic in a sense, but he had grown to enjoy the small bird’s antics day after day. Sure the bird had not been a person who could go drinking with him, or even eat at a restaurant, but there was just something about having the bird there. It kept Gilbert from losing his usual pompous and over the top composure towards his work and co-workers. He had even come to enjoy the collection of forestry items the Warbler had left him.

Sighing, Gilbert opened his lunch and started eating, the food tasting nothing more of dirt. Halfway through, a kid who looked to be a few years younger than Gilbert, who was twenty-three, sat on the other end of the bench. No one had sat beside Gilbert except the Warbler. Anger clawed at Gilbert’s insides, even if common sense told him it was only natural other people would sit at the bench. Deciding not to look at the new comer, lest he forget his cool, Gilbert concentrated on his sandwich instead. But at the corner of his peripheral view, one of the kid’s hands come into view. He dropped something in Gilbert’s lap. Two small acorns.

Turning, Gilbert stared at the kid dumbfounded. The kid had wavy golden blonde hair with a curl sticking out in front and amethyst eyes. He wore a red hooded t-shirt and regular jeans with matching converse. Gilbert could not understand why the man had given him the acorn. It was while Gilbert was lost in thought, the kid took the bag of trail mix usually belonging to Vögelchen.

“You can’t just go around eating another man’s lunch,” Gilbert said, giving the young a glance over before leaning forward in an attempt to snatch the trail mix back. But the kid clutched it closer, shaking his head.

“Paid for it,” he said quietly, pointing to the acorns.

“That’s not paying for it. Besides, you never asked either.” Gilbert tried to grab the food again, almost ended up with him on the ground.

“I’ve always paid in those. You tell stories too, so I gave you two acorns today,” the kid said, popping another peanut in his mouth.

“What are you talking about? The only one I talk to or share food with is a bird, not a human.” Gilbert ran his hand through his white hair, trying to make sense of the situation.

“What if I told you I’m the bird?”

Gilbert stared at the amethyst eyes reflecting concern and hope before he started to laugh. How gullible did the kid believe him to be? A bird could not turn into a human. It was impossible and yet, the thought made him pause in his laughter to look at the kid again.

“If you really are the bird, what type are you and what stories have I told you?” Gilbert knew the questions could possibly be answered by anyone who visited the park every day and it was all just some huge joke, but it was hard not to play along for a little bit.

“You told me I was called a Palm Warbler who migrated from Canada. The stories ranged from work and your little brother, Ludwig.” The kid watched Gilbert’s face as he spoke. “You call me Vögelchen. What does that mean?”

“It means birdie in German,” Gilbert said, eyes wide in wonder. “Are you really Vögelchen?”

The kid smiled brightly and nodded his head sheepishly. He continued to munch on the trail mix, oblivious to the inner conflict Gilbert now faced. Could the kid have just spied on him and thought to play a cruel joke? Or could he really believe the words the kid said? Either way, Gilbert had to figure out what to do next.

“What exactly are you then?”

“A shifter in training,” Vögelchen said, not skipping a beat. “I can’t maintain a human form for too long, but that’s only because I just started learning. My names Matthew, but you can still call me Vögelchen if you want.”

“I’m Gilbert. Why did you only start learning now?” Gilbert asked, a little shocked at how normal the conversation was turning out to be.

“My brother always said humans were dangerous and couldn’t be trusted. He never taught me, so I had to learn from a polar bear about a year ago. I never bothered practicing through because I never had a reason to.”

“But now you do?”

“Yup.”

Gilbert was about to inquire as to what that reason was, when the golden retriever who normally was in the park around this time, caught a Frisbee near the park bench and barked loudly in its triumph. Gilbert chuckled at the prancing dog for a moment until fingers gripped his arm tightly. Or at least he thought them to be fingers, but upon looking down, it was talons digging into his rolled up sleeve and arm, drawing small beads of blood. Matthew had feathers poking out of his golden hair and some on his arm, matching the colours of the Warbler. Large frightened amethyst eyes begged Gilbert for comfort.

“Vögelchen, you have nothing to fear. The scary dog is back with its owner. Now please let go of my arm.” Gilbert gave Matthew a soft reassuring smile, feeling the urge to jump for joy and at the same time smoother the shifter before him with comfort. The shifted talons and feathers proved the story Matthew had told him.

Matthew nodded his head, shivering as he slowly removed his hands. Gilbert pulled off his jacket from where it sat on the bench and draped it over Matthew to hide most of the feathers. If anyone walked by, they would believe Matthew to either be an artist who worked with feathers, or a bird keeper at the zoo. Gilbert rubbed soothing circles on Matthew’s back until the shifter calmed his breathing and the shivering subsided.

“Afraid of dogs are we?” Gilbert asked, teasing the other lightly.

“Just the big and loud ones,” Matthew said quietly, still rather shaken up.

“Well don’t worry. That one won’t hurt you. He just wanted his toy,” Gilbert said, quietly moving back to his original position now that Matthew was better.

Matthew nodded, trusting amethyst eyes never leaving Gilbert’s face. The two relapsed into an awkward silence where Gilbert tried to find a new topic to talk about, while Matthew only stared. As Matthew had calmed down, feathers from his hair danced with the breeze. A few landed on Gilbert, making him chuckle. Matthew cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“Nothing Vögelchen, just that now we both look like we went to the zoo and played with the birds,” Gilbert said, finding he liked spending time like this. But with all good things, how long did he have until Matthew migrated back to Canada? Or had he changed into a human form to tell him he was leaving already? “How long are you going to stay?”

“Stay?” Matthew turned toward the sky as a few birds flew over their heads.

“Well, you have a home right? You mentioned you had a brother, so I would assume you won’t be coming to this park all the time.” Gilbert wondered if birds like Matthew had a sense of close family like Gilbert did when it came to his brother.

“Oh yes,” Matthew said bright. “My brother and I normally migrate together, but he said something about us starting to settle down and start out our families soon. He said we would have to start going separately through the migration period because we are no longer hatchlings. I think sometimes he forgets that we’re shifters.”

“So I won’t get to see you anymore?” Gilbert found his brightened mood suddenly darken. If Matthew left, he would be alone again, but knew he could never ask Matthew to stay.

Hurt flashed in amethyst eyes as Gilbert sat there wrestling with his own emotions. Matthew moved his head to the side, eyes giving off a shimmer. “Do you not want to see me anymore?”

“Of course I do! But you’ll have to go back to Canada and it’s not even that warm in New York at the moment either,” Gilbert said, realising what he had done. Matthew was on the verge of tears.  It was spring, but a chill breeze still swept through in the early mornings and late nights. It was only warm when the sun was at its highest.

“I can stay. I’ll learn to stay in my human form,” Matthew said a small smile on his lips. “If you’ll let me.”

Gilbert blinked for a moment. What had Matthew just implied with that last sentence?

“Why is it up to me?”

“Because you’re the reason I practiced to become human. You’re a shifter too right?” Matthew asked, pointing at Gilbert’s snow white hair and then towards his crimson eyes.

Now it all made sense. Matthew had come to the conclusion that Gilbert was a shifter because of his abnormal appearance compared to the rest of the people in New York, although Gilbert was sure that he could find someone who looked stranger. He felt a little guilty for having deceived Matthew, but at the same time it made Gilbert wonder if the only reason Matthew had bothered to change into a human form was because of the misunderstanding. Gilbert shook his head.

“I’m an Albino. I’m not a shifter at all.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry.” Gilbert said, having come up with no other response.

Gilbert sat there with a sigh. Of course Matthew was only interested if it meant finding another shifter. But then how could Gilbert explain why he felt so dejected and wished more than anything he was normal for once? In any other circumstance, he would bask in his abnormal mutation and allow people to gawk at him until they were satisfied. But to suddenly be the reason why Matthew had practiced to become a human and stayed in New York was because of the off chance Gilbert was a shifter, it broke Gilbert inside.

“Would you—I mean—oh never mind,” Gilbert said, running his hand through his hair. Even he was unsure of himself at the moment or what he even wanted.

Matthew watched, curious eyes following Gilbert’s every movement. Gilbert jumped a little when Matthew placed a hand on his shoulder, sad amethyst eyes locking into crimson ones. Gilbert felt as if he was looking into the world’s most precious gem.

“It’s okay. I understand. I’ll leave and never bother you again.”

Each word felt like a dagger digging deeper into Gilbert’s heart. Matthew had become a friend and now Gilbert was about to lose him. Reaching out, Gilbert grabbed Matthew’s hand, looking deep into the amethyst eyes.

“I don’t want you to leave, if I’m honest. Just don’t tell anyone I said that. In fact, all those stories I told you, don’t tell anyone about those either. I have a reputation to uphold,” Gilbert said, not looking up at Matthew, who only placed a hand over Gilbert’s.

“It’s okay. I knew it was a long shot, but I shouldn’t bother you.” The voice was quiet as the two sat there, hands within hands. Neither wanted to break the silence, but Gilbert’s phone decided to play a loud ringtone, scaring both parties into a jump.

“Scheiße. Where is it?” Gilbert asked patting his pockets quickly to find the phone.

“Gilbert, something is,” Matthew squirmed as Gilbert remembered where he put his phone.

“I’m sorry Vögelchen,” Gilbert said as he pulled out his phone from the front pocket of his jacket. Swiping his thumb across the screen, he put the phone to his ear. “Hallo?”

“Where are you? I told you not to be late for the meeting today. Look at the time.”

It was the lady from the second floor who always threatened Gilbert with her frying pan. Elizabeta was a woman no one wanted to cross and at the moment she sounded rather angry at Gilbert. Pulling the phone away from his ear, Gilbert cursed lightly.

“I’ll be right there. I’m at the park like usual,” Gilbert said before hanging up. He had no time to listen to her shout at him if he was going to make it on time before the meeting started. “Listen Vögelchen, I need to head back to my work and go to a meeting.”

Matthew nodded his head, taking off Gilbert’s jacket and handed it back. Instead of putting it on though, Gilbert just draped it over his arm, wondering how he would look with feathers all over when he walked into the meeting. He didn’t mind, but Elizabeta would not be too happy, he was sure.

“Ah, what are you going to do when I leave?” Gilbert asked, not wanting to leave Matthew by himself.

“I,” Matthew looked around, nervous. “I don’t know.”

Gilbert, gave a small huff, knowing that every second he stayed with Matthew meant another second he would be late for the meeting, but at the moment he knew which was more important.

“Tell you what, come with me. I’ll tell them you’re visiting family or something. They’ll take care of you while I’m in the meeting and then I’ll take the rest of the afternoon off. Since your brother seems to have deserted you, you can stay with me,” Gilbert said, determined to take care of Matthew since he was to blame for Matthew’s interest in learning to shift.

“I c-couldn’t possibly do that! You already made it clear that you’re not a shifter, so you probably think I’m some sort of freak and want to turn me in to get experimented on,” Matthew said, hugging his sides, fear clearly in his eyes.

“Whoa, Vögelchen, calm down. I would never turn you over to scientists. Besides you already said you can’t hold your human form for too long right? If someone were to see you shift, it would be bad. I know because of a mistake, but I don’t plan on telling anyone. I promise.”

“You don’t?” Matthew said, as Gilbert held up his jacket.

“Why would I? I gave you my jacket to hide your feathers remember? I won’t let anything happen to you. It’s my fault you revealed your secret. So I’ll take responsibility over you.” Gilbert checked his phone, wanting Matthew to hurry up and decide what he wanted to do, but at the same did not want to push Matthew into anything.

Matthew’s eyes lowered to the ground for a moment. Gilbert stood, bouncing from one foot to the next waiting. He knew he was probably making Matthew nervous. But when Matthew opened his mouth to tell the other what he wanted to do, Matthew suddenly doubled over in pain. Gilbert tossed his jacket to the ground and stepped forward to help the shifter.

Feathers sprouted all over Matthew’s arms and then in his hair once again. Trying to think of what to do, Gilbert quickly picked up his coat and draped it over Matthew. If he was going to shift back into a bird at least no one was really paying attention to them. Getting Matthew to sit on the bench, Gilbert rubbed soothing circles, feeling the muscles and bones under the coat shift and form a new. Within minutes Matthew’s body slowly grew smaller until finally a few chirps were heard from under the jacket.

“Are you alright Vögelchen?” Gilbert asked softly as he lifted the jacket to find Matthew as the Palm Warbler he knew.

Matthew ruffled his feathers before looking at Gilbert with beady black eyes. He chirped in response.

“I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll take it as a yes. You should have given me a warning before you suddenly changed. I thought you were dying,” Gilbert sighed and gave Matthew a little smile. “We’ll talk about this later when you can go back in your human form or find some other way communicating. At the moment I really do need to get that meeting so I’m going to carry you to the office. If anyone asks I’m helping you because of a hurt wing.”

Gilbert received a chirp as Matthew hopped forward a little. Taking the gesture as a sign that Matthew was fine with this, Gilbert scooped him up along with the jacket, creating a small nest. He held the bundle with the utmost care as he started jogging back to the company he worked for. It took him about ten minutes to get through the rush of the crowd and to cross the rather dangerous street in order to get to the company, but at least he made it with about two minutes before the meeting started. Not waiting for the elevator, he sprinted up the stairs, two at a time, with a ruffled Matthew chirping his concern. Ignoring the pleas to slow down, Gilbert burst through the door to his floor, breathing heavily. Heads turned in his direction, but no one reacted at first. At least not until they saw the bundle of feathers in his hands.

“Dios Mío! Gilbert is that a bird?” Antonio asked as he rushed forward from his cubicle across from Gilbert usually worked.

“Ja. He’s hurt and I couldn’t just leave him for some cat to eat. So I’m taking care of him, but I have a meeting to go to and didn’t have enough time to run back to my apartment. Do you—”

Matthew flapped his wings in a small attempt to fly. Gilbert prayed it was just for show, but honestly had no idea at the moment. He leaned in closer to check. When he was near enough, Matthew fluttered a bit more before grabbing a bit of hair in between his beak and started to climb up Gilbert’s head. He made himself comfortable by nestling himself in the snow white ruffled hair and chirped happily.

“I guess he wants to stay there with you. I hope he knows to be quiet or you won’t get very far with the meeting,” Antonio said with a grin as Gilbert cringed at the pulling of his hair.

“It’s not funny Antonio. What if the people in the meeting don’t—?”

“Beilschmidt, get your ass over here! The meeting is about to start,” Elizabeta said in her delicate lady voice she reserved only for when she was livid with someone or there were higher ups afoot. Today, it seemed both were the reasons. Gilbert tossed his jacket over the chair of his cubicle and grabbed the important to documents he needed. “Why the hell do you have a bird on your head? Oh never mind, we don’t have time for this. Get in quick.”

“Ja, ich komme.” Gilbert sighed, hoping that he was not about to regret coming to work in New York after all.

The meeting went as well as any of them could have guessed. Gilbert spent the first few minutes explaining why he was late and why there was a bird perched on his head. The meeting was about some sort of deal between the German partners of the company and Gilbert had to act as a translator of sorts, which was why he was needed so urgently. But the meeting went smoothly since Matthew stayed quiet on top of Gilbert’s head and only ruffled his feathers or snuggled closer if Gilbert happened to walk near an air vent. After the deal was made, Matthew was praised for his well behaviour. The German partners said they were a little sceptical at first with signing the papers, but after seeing how well Elizabeta and Gilbert handled the situation with Matthew, they were more than happy to oblige. They deemed the American company able to cope under stress and adapt to new situations rather quickly. Gilbert prided himself with the praise, but honestly was just glad it was all over. Just as he was about to go back to his chair to relax, Elizabeta stood in front of him.

“That bird, where did you get him?”

Gilbert was ready to bolt before he got hit with a frying pan, but decided to humour the lady who was supposedly above him in the chain of command within the company.

“He’s from the park. I’ve been feeding him since I’ve started taking lunch there. Today right when you called, he was attacked by a stray cat and I couldn’t just leave him there to die or get eaten. So I brought him with me,” Gilbert said, hoping Elizabeta would just let it go. Everyone in the office had their eyes turned toward the two, waiting to see what their boss was going to do.

“Have you named him?”

Gilbert tried to figure out where Elizabeta was going with this, but her emotionless face was starting to unnerve him.

“His name is Matthew. Why?”

A smile broke out on her face as she pushed Gilbert down by the shoulders to get a closer look at Matthew. “Thank you Matthew. You saved our butts today at the meeting. I hope your wing gets better okay?”

It was quiet in the office as Gilbert stooped under Elizabeta’s pressure for her to get a good look at Matthew. The rest of his co-workers were rather stunned into silence. Most had viewed her as being a little heartless or rather cold to men except for her husband Roderich.

“You just smiled,” Gilbert said, as she finally let him straighten up.

“Sure, I like cute things and Matthew certainly fits that description.” Matthew chirped what Gilbert believed was thanks. “But you should probably bring him to a vet or something if he was attacked.”

“Ja, I was wondering if perhaps I could get off the rest of the afternoon off since the deal went through to take care of him.” Gilbert fidgeted under her watchful gaze. It was the truth, but twisted a little.

“Just be on time tomorrow,” Elizabeta said as she turned to look at the rest of the office. “Get back to work. We still have a long afternoon with the deal approved.”

“Yes ma’am,” came the chorus of answers.

Sighing with relief, Gilbert gave a cackle before putting his hands on his hips as if he had just won against a formidable opponent. Antonio smiled from his desk and winked.

“Take care of the pajarito,” Antonio said as he shifted a few papers around. “If he’s as behaved when he’s not hurt you should bring him around more often. Maybe Matthew can help tame Elizabeta.”

“I heard that Toni! I better have those reports on file by the end of the night,” Elizabeta called from the other side of the room. Antonio cringed for a moment before giving Gilbert a smile.

“Guess I better get to work.”

“Ja, see you later Toni,” Gilbert said, using Antonio’s nickname for the first time since he arrived at New York. The name was weird to say, but he felt a little closer to Antonio than any of the others around his desk for the time being. Who knew it just took bringing Matthew with him to get people to actually take the time of day to talk to him.

Gilbert quickly gathered his belongings before Elizabeta could change her mind and headed out of the office. He was careful about moving his head because he was not to found of the idea of talons digging into his scalp, but found that Matthew perched in his hair was rather endearing. As he made his way down the stairs, instead of using the elevator, people exchanged glances about Matthew. Before he stepped out of the company building, he put his hand up for Matthew to climb on and cradled him in his arms.

“So do I need to take you to the vet?”

Matthew shook his head once and stared at Gilbert, who found the gesture odd coming from a bird.

“Alright, then should I get bird food or something from the pet store? I’m not exactly sure what I need to take care of you,” Gilbert said as he walked through the lighter throng of people on the sidewalk, which honestly meant that there was at least enough room to walk two steps without being on someone’s heel.

Again Matthew shook his head and snuggled closer to Gilbert as people crowded around them.

“Alright, I guess we just head home them? I’ll have to hide you in my jacket when we get there though since I’m pretty sure there’s a no pet policy for the apartment I have.”

Matthew chirped in response. Gilbert watched as the beady eyes grew heavier with each step Gilbert took until finally Matthew had dosed off in Gilbert’s arms, while Gilbert waited for the green light to signal he could cross the street. It took another five minutes of walking through the crowds to get to his apartment complex.

Gilbert enjoyed the accessibility he had the apartment his job paid for, but it was nothing like back home. He sighed, knowing he had about six floors to climb to get to his apartment. But as the doorman held open the door for him, he pointed to the bundle in Gilbert’s hands.

“Best hide that,” he said quietly.

Gilbert folding the coat over Matthew gently, hoping Matthew would scare from the action. He was glad the doorman had said something because upon entering, he could hear the land lord talking with a couple who Gilbert had seen living a floor below his.

“Pets are forbidden in this complex. I’m going to have to ask that you either find a new complex that allows pets, or get rid of the dog.” The small blonde of the couple held onto the small white dog tighter.

“I see. We’ll leave. Give us a week and we’ll pay the rent as well,” the taller said quietly, face dark as if he was seriously pissed off.

“I-I ummm,” the landlord looked about ready to say the dog could stay, but just fell silent and went back to his office.

Gilbert shivered, wondering what he was going to do if they ever found out that Matthew was actually a bird. Shaking his head, he quickly went to the stairs and walked up slowly to not jostle Matthew who was still asleep it seemed since he had yet to make a peep. After about the third floor, Gilbert was slowly getting tired. He would have to ask if elevators were okay to ride. It had been a few years since he had really stayed in shape thanks to playing soccer. Climbing the rest of the stairs as he huffed, he was sure to have woken Matthew up, but when he moved Matthew to only one hand to fish for his key, still not a sound. Once he closed the door behind him and locked it, Gilbert uncovered Matthew to see Matthew’s chest rise and fall rhythmically.

“Matthew, we’re here,” Gilbert said softly.

Matthew blinked at Gilbert for a moment, beady eyes still clouded over as he sat cradled in Gilbert’s hands. Ruffling his feathers, Matthew gave a small chirp before snuggling back into the jacket.

“Schlafmütze, wake up.”

Gilbert sighed lightly before putting the jacket and Matthew on a cushion on his couch. He would have to give Matthew the grand tour of the house a little later. If Matthew was tired, Gilbert was going to let him sleep. He figured shifting and dealing with so many people all in one day was exhausted. Even Gilbert felt tired from only translating for the German partners to the company. Heading to his room, Gilbert changed out of his attire and put on sweats and a t-shirt before joining Matthew on the couch again. Crimson eyes watched the other sleep for a few more minutes before his eyes slowly closed. A protective hand curled around Matthew as Gilbert drifted off to sleep.


	2. Being Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out. I actually had a lot of trouble writing this. Honestly I'm not as thrilled about it as I should be, but I can't bare to look at this chapter anymore. Either way, at least the plot is moving forward. I hope you enjoy it!

Gilbert woke to cold hands shaking him gently. Eyes fluttered open, the strange taste of golden curls in his mouth made him smack his lips in an attempt to wake up. A muffled voice called his name, to which he grunted a very intelligent response before allowing his eyes to close again having not fully focused in the first place. He dreamed of golden feathers and peridots on a pastel splattered beach. Even now he could feel the warmth of the sun on his body.

"Gilbert!" The voice finally came through the fogginess of sleep before Gilbert bolted up from the sofa on his hands and knees. Panting, crimson eyes fell upon Matthew who kneeled beside the couch while he attempted to wake Gilbert.

"Vögelchen?" Gilbert's voice was dry and gave a crack towards the end when he slowly reigned in his breathing.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you? I didn't mean to, but your thing from yesterday won't stop jumping on the table and making noise." Matthew pointed to the table just as Gilbert's phone vibrated against it once again.

Gilbert lunged for the phone in case it was an important call, but found the vibrating to be from his alarm. It was set to go off at seven in the morning to make sure he got to work on time. Yet with Matthew at the apartment and it being Saturday there was no need to go into work to fill up the empty hours of his day. Sure, back home he partied on the weekend occasionally but with trying to put Ludwig through school he had other priorities. Still, Gilbert would have liked to find a more enjoyable job.

"It's fine Matthew. It's called a phone and it was just my alarm going off to tell me to wake up." Gilbert sat more comfortably on the couch finding it odd the two had spent the entire night on it instead of on the soft bed. Moving his neck from side to side, he heard a small crack. The sound made his neck feel better, but Gilbert knew he would be sore a little later.

"You have to go to work?" Matthew asked as he slowly stood up in what appeared to only be an oversized shirt belonging to Gilbert. Or at least Gilbert had found the shirt packed neatly in his suitcase the night he first moved into the apartment. It originally belonged to Ludwig who was taller and a little broader, who refused to take it back until Gilbert came back home.

"Matthew, did you find that in the closet?" Gilbert asked, rubbing at his tired eyes. A nod from Matthew confirmed his suspicions. "Please tell me you're wearing shorts or something underneath."

"I, uh, might have borrowed a pair. Yes," Mathew said quietly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Not that Matthew would even understand what that meant.

"At least there's that. What happened to the clothes you had yesterday?" Gilbert put away the phone and patted the seat next to him on the couch.

"You left them on the bench in your hurry. It was the only outfit I had to blend in with the humans," Matthew climbed on the couch, leaving space between himself and Gilbert. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing yours."

Gilbert gave a small cackle as he watched the shifter actually look sheepish for having put on clothes. Honestly, Gilbert was glad Matthew had them on, there was no need to wake him up naked. His brain supplied him with a flash of Matthew kneeling down with nothing on as he begged for Gilbert to get up. Shuddering at the thought, Gilbert shook his head. There was not time for thoughts like that. Now that he was responsible for Vögelchen he had to make sure to teach Mathew everything there was to know about being a human, which meant clothes, eating like a human, and learning the mannerisms of human life. Sex was down at the bottom of his list and he only wanted to cross that bridge if Matthew asked him about it.

"No, I don't mind. But maybe we should get your own clothes. You can pick them out if you want. I have a bit saved up that I can use for the occasion. Not to mention, if you want to be a human, or blend in at times, you'll have to learn to eat a bit more than just nuts and dried up fruit."

Gilbert checked his back pocket for his wallet, wondering if he should grab some cash, or just use his card. With the store he had in mind, it would probably be best to just take the card and save himself the trouble of teaching Matthew about ATM machines.

"Money? You mean the green paper that everyone gives to someone when they have items in their hands?" Amethyst eyes were trained on Gilbert, who saw the thirst for knowledge behind the innocence.

"Yes, the green paper. Each one has a different value on it meaning that one might be five dollars, or ten dollars even. You do not know about numbers right?" Matthew nodded, waiting for Gilbert to continue. "Right then, I'll show you how to use paper when we get the groceries. I know I'm going to need a few things, and we can pick up some fruit for you as well. How does that sound?"

Gilbert watched as Matthew just sat there quiet, but the shifter was only just containing the euphoria of the planned day it seemed as he bounced a little on the couch. His amethyst eyes reflected the feeling by shining bright at Gilbert as a broad smile was plastered on his face. Gilbert wondered if it hurt Matthew's cheeks to smile as such.

"Right, then we'll get some breakfast, head to get the clothes and then the food."

Eggs and toast sounded rather delicious to him, but he wondered if Matthew would eat that. Maybe he still had some trail mix, but with a human body, Matthew would have to eat a little more than just nuts and berries. A slow introduction to foods would be best. Matthew followed Gilbert into the kitchen, hopping to sit on one of the counters. He swung his legs a little as if he was a small child. The action reminded Gilbert of Ludwig when he was smaller.

"What are you doing?" Matthew watched Gilbert gathered a pan from the pantry and pulled the toaster a little farther away from the wall.

"Making eggs and toast for breakfast." Gilbert's his voice was muffled from bending into the fridge to find the eggs towards the back of the middle shelf in the fridge.

"Eggs? Gilbert are you - No! You can't be!"

Gilbert turned with the eggs in one hand and a few other ingredients he used to make scrambled eggs, in the other. Matthew jumped down from the counter and chirped angrily at the sight of the egg carton before dashing to the safest spot he could find, which was a corner in the kitchen furthest from Gilbert.

Brows knitted in confusion, Gilbert placed the items on the counter before turning his attention back to Matthew. Just like the day before, feathers had sprouted from his hair and arms. Gilbert would have to explain to Matthew the need to not get flustered so easily in public. The feathers and other shifted parts would surely give him away if someone were to see and who knows what sort of trouble the two would end up in.

"Vögelchen, what's wrong? What did I say?" Gilbert stayed where he was, closing the fridge softly behind him. Honestly he had no clue what could have upset his feathered friend.

"You're an egg stealer! How could you? Give the eggs back right now and promise not to steal anymore."

If the situation was not as serious for Matthew, Gilbert knew he would have laughed. But instead, he just smiled, holding out the carton of eggs he pointed to the logo. It was of a chicken with the words free ranged plastered on it.

"Vögelchen, come here. I'm not an egg stealer. These are chicken eggs that aren't fertile, meaning there is no baby inside the egg. You know about chickens right?" Gilbert watched Matthew as he spoke.

Straightening, from the crouched position Matthew was in, he slowly nodded his head as he made his way towards Gilbert. As the minutes ticked by, slowly he lost the feathers that sprouted from his initial shock and the talons receded. Once he felt comfortable enough, Matthew stepped forward to examine the eggs.

"D-Do humans eat eggs from other species too?" Matthew asked as Gilbert let Matthew examine the eggs while he continued to make breakfast.

"They do, but I don't. These eggs are plenty for me. Do you want some too?"

Gilbert started to heat up the stove, keeping a close eye on Matthew as he did so. The shifter shook his head as he hopped back onto the counter to swing his legs once again. The shifter was curious when the eggs started cooking, which made Gilbert wonder if perhaps he would try some after all. But Matthew said not another word, but he did hum a song or two while Gilbert finished cooking their breakfast. Gilbert had no recollection of the song, yet he found it familiar. It was soft and melodious, after the first few minutes he found himself humming along with Matthew. When the toast popped from the toaster and the eggs were finished, Gilbert wondered what he should put on the toast. If Matthew had no clue about eggs, then Gilbert doubted the shifter knew about utensils either, and so would just have to show him how to eat the bread with his hands for the time being.

"Have you had chocolate before?" Gilbert grabbed the jar of Nutella from the counter to show Matthew what he meant. Another shake of his head. "You're lucky you have me to show what food is totally awesome and which foods to stay away from Vögelchen. This is Nutella, you can put it on almost anything to make it sweet. It's called chocolate and this particular brand comes from where I live in Germany."

"C-Can I try some?" Matthew's amethyst eyes light up once again with a shine of curiosity. Gilbert couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction as he nodded his head.

"Go sit on the table. I'll bring it all over. Do you want something to drink?" Gilbert spread the hazelnut spread on the toast for himself and Matthew.

"Water please." Matthew hopped down from the counter to sit directly on the table, when Gilbert turned around to put the plates on the table he burst out laughing.

"Nein, nein. When someone tells you to sit on the table it means to sit in a chair around the table."

"Humans certainly are strange when it comes to their language. Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Matthew cocked his head to the side in confusion, but did as he was bade the second time and took a seat on a chair.

"I don't know, English is weird. I've spoken it for many years now and found that the people who grow up learning English butcher it all the time. It's best not to even think about it for too long," Gilbert shrugged as he set the plates down. "Let me get the water, you can go ahead and start eating if you want."

Gilbert grabbed a mug for coffee and then a regular glass for water. Once both substances were in their rightful mugs, he placed the water in front of Matthew and took a sip of his coffee. The smell was familiar to him and he rather enjoyed the taste, but he wished he had creamer to put in it.

"What's that?" Matthew pointed to Gilbert's mug, the toast in the other hand and Nutella smeared across his face.

"It's called coffee and you're not getting any just yet. It's got caffeine in it and while I don't mind you trying things I would not have you bouncing all over the place on it while we look for clothes and food." Gilbert held onto his coffee rather protectively. It was the only thing he never shared, not even with Ludwig since it was the only substance that kept him awake during the long hours of work. Especially when certain office workers stole his cup from his desk, or stole the last bit of coffee he made in the pot he kept near his desk.

"Oh, okay." Matthew's shoulders hunched a bit as if he was closing himself off from the world. Gilbert sighed, knowing he should not have been so harsh, but then again it was coffee they were talking about.

"When you can stay in your human form a bit longer you can try some. Who knows what it will do to your little bird body." Gilbert tried to reason, knowing at this point he was just making up some sort of explanation in hopes Matthew would not be too upset about the whole ordeal.

Matthew nodded, his shoulders relaxing a little, but the rest of breakfast was silent except for the sounds of chewing and the occasional clink of a fork on a plate. After breakfast, Gilbert washed the dishes. But before he told Matthew they were going to put on different clothes to go, he cackled at the Nutella spread all over his face.

"Come here Vögelchen. You have Nutella all over. You can't go out looking like that." Matthew's face lit up a light red as he inched closer and let Gilbert take a paper towel to wipe his face clean.

"It was a little messy."

"Yeah, it can be, but it was good right?" Gilbert double checked to make sure he had gotten all the chocolate off as Matthew nodded, a smile on his face and curl bouncing. "Gut. Now let's get changed and head out to get you some clothes."

"Okay." Matthew took Gilbert by the sleeve of his arm and led him to the bedroom beaming proudly at where he had gotten the clothes he was wearing at the moment.

Gilbert found his clothes in disarray from the shifter scavenging through the clothes, but chose not to say a word. Instead, he silently picked up the clothes littered on the floor, shifting through them until he found a pair of jeans that might fit Matthew and found something for him to wear. Once he had the clothes, he dumped rest of his pile on the bed to be folded and put away nicely once they got back home.

"Here, just put on some jeans for now. The shirt doesn't look too bad." Gilbert tossed the blue denim in Matthew's direction.

The shifter caught it easily and started to put on the pants as Gilbert put on the shirt and jeans he found for himself on. Once dressed, the two were off to get the shopping done.

"I should probably let the landlord know you're staying with me. I don't want him to kick you out or something if I'm not around." Gilbert held open the door for Matthew and locked it before heading towards the elevator.

"Would he really do that?" Matthew moved slightly closer to Gilbert, the fear of him being an egg stealer gone and replaced with a new fear.

"Knowing him? Probably, but it won't come to that. I promise," Gilbert put on one of his usual grins which meant he had a plan. The company paid for his rent on the apartment, so what was wrong with having a roommate. The apartment had two bedrooms anyway, he just turned the other room into an office of sorts for the time being. If Matthew was planning on staying for a very long time, then he would redo the room to make it into a bedroom for the shifter. "I'll talk to be a little later about it."

Matthew nodded as the two headed out of the building, his day of learning to be a human only just beginning.

"Although Vögelchen, I have to ask something. How long can you stay in this form?" Gilbert asked as the two started on their way to the shop he had in mind for clothes.

"Since I changed only shortly before I woke you, I think I have about another two hours. It might be a bit more though. The polar bear who taught me explained that the more I shift the longer I can stay in a human form, but it takes a long time before I'll be able to stay the whole day as a human." Matthew clutched at Gilbert's shirt as people started to crowd around them on the sidewalk.

It was a normal busy day for New York which meant plenty of people walking around and cars stuck in traffic. Still, Gilbert was glad Matthew had the foresight of grabbing his clothes to keep from losing each other, but Gilbert really didn't want his shirt to stretch. While the thought was nice, it was really a terrible idea to try and keep together. Prying Matthew's death grip on his shirt, he held Matthew's hand instead as he led him through the endless throngs of people. Gilbert did not turn to look at Matthew. If anyone had a problem and voiced their opinion about the matter, Gilbert would knock their teeth out. Thankfully, the store was not too far from where he lived. It was just a matter of finding the owner. Stepping through a small group of business men, he brought Matthew into the store he had been looking for with a huff.

It was one of the hole in the wall stores considering all the random fast food places surrounding it. The store owner, who was French did not seem to find unless the smell of fast food permeated throughout his own store, making the expensive suits he had in the forefront of the store smell like grease. The inside was rather well kept, with the suits in front while the referred to as street clothes were kept in towards the back.

"I swear, when I'm done with this job I'm going to retire in the countryside." Gilbert ran a hand through his snow white hair. "Now, where is he?"

"Who?" Matthew explored the store with his eyes, choosing to stick close to Gilbert.

"The owner. His name is Francis and helped me pick out suits for business meetings. Of course he has more than just suits though the other clothes are towards the back of the store. He has the suits up front since a lot of business men come to him." Gilbert led them through the store until a French accent came wafting from the back of the store.

"Is that him?" Matthew asked as they happened upon Francis with another client who was trying on different clothes.

"Ja," Gilbert said, putting his hands on his hips as he grinned. "Franny!"

Francis stopped mid-sentence to look back. At first his face was set in a tight frown, but turned into a bright smile with a twinkle in his blue eyes when he saw Gilbert.

"Mon cher! It has been quite a while since I last saw you. I shall be with you in a moment. I just need to help him find a nice outfit for his date," Francis looked back at the customer, who turned a tomato red and started saying what Gilbert could only hear was a different language.

Gilbert nudged Matthew a little so the shifter could start looking at the clothes. If anything struck his fancy, Gilbert was sure Francis could find something to go with it.

"Go on, find anything you like. Francis will help you pick out outfits when he's done. Don't worry about money I got plenty of that for this." Gilbert gave his usual grin as Matthew stared at him with his owlish eyes once again.

"G-Gil I can't possibly just pick something and expect you to buy it," Matthew stared at the clothing. His eyes wandered over the material and Gilbert was unsure if perhaps the shifter thought one touch would ruin the clothes.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm doing this because I want to, besides you need to have clothes. You can't keep borrowing my things because I'm not exactly as tall as you," Gilbert pointed out as he held his hand up high to show Matthew there was a difference in their height.

"Okay," Matthew said as he started to sift through the clothing with dainty touches.

Gilbert watched quietly, leaning on the rack. It took Francis another ten minutes to help the customer before he came over to Gilbert. Nothing was said between the two at first. Gilbert knew Francis was trying to come up with his own conclusions of what was going on between Matthew and Gilbert. If anything, Gilbert was a bit curious to see what Francis was trying to decide upon. The two continued to watch Matthew touch a sleeve of a shirt, or brush his hands on the denim pants he found.

"Where did you find him?" Francis asked quietly so as not to disturb Matthew just yet.

"What do you mean Franny?" Gilbert glanced at Francis from the corner of his eyes. The Frenchman had a concerned look which did not please Gilbert in the least. Did Francis think Gilbert had just picked up a random stranger and thought to help them? He was nice, but not that nice.

"Did you just pick him off the street or something? Don't get me wrong, I don't care in the least, but I feel as if he should be wrapped up and pampered with the way he's touching the clothes." Francis crossed his arms as the two watched Matthew pull out a red hoodie that was at least a size bigger than him.

"He was at the park when I found him. He mistook me for someone he knew and so I let him crash at my place. Not like I don't have the room. Come to find out his only family, a brother, decided that it was time for him to be on his own or some bullshit like that. The dummkopf probably doesn't even know what Matthew got himself into to. Still, you're right about him needing to be wrapped up and coddled." Gilbert sighed.

He had not realised it until now that while it was in theory a good plan to let Matthew stay with him, Matthew was skittish and acted like a cornered frightened animal, which was not entirely off the mark. He would have to take things in strides with the young shifter. But seeing Matthew hold the hoodie in his hands and nod to himself, Gilbert felt the smile spread on his face.

"He needs a lot of coddling."

"Oui, then I shall help him as best as I can. You're paying of course, right?" Francis asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes as Gilbert slowly nodded, albeit a little hesitantly.

"Ja, but don't make me go broke. I still need to help pay for West's school back home." Gilbert leaned against the rack and watched as Francis nodded and went to work.

"Bonjour there. My name is Francis, what might your name be?" Francis asked politely, a friendly smile on his face as Matthew jumped a little at the sudden human interaction.

"Bonjour, je m'appelle Matthew." The shifter looked around Francis to make sure Gilbert was still in the area, to which Gilbert waved and gave him a thumbs up to tell Matthew Francis was harmless. Well, as harmless as any clothing designer could be when they found a subject to test their new clothes on.

"Oh you speak French?" France glanced back at Gilbert, eyes wide. Gilbert shrugged having not known Matthew was bilingual.

"Just a little. I picked it up when I was traveling through some parts of Canada," Matthew explained, thankfully leaving out that he was a bird when he learned how to speak it, or at least that's what Gilbert assumed.

"I see. It seems you have taken a particular interest in this hoodie. I can presume you like it?" Gilbert knew Francis was being as gentle as possible and he was glad he had come here. If it had been any other store, Gilbert was sure the clerk would be too much for the shifter to handle as of yet.

Matthew nodded at Francis. "Yeah, I like how it feels and the colour is pretty."

"I see, why don't I help you find the right size then? And perhaps even a pair of jeans to match it? Oh, I might have just the outfit after this as well. Do you mind?" Francis started sorting through the clothes as he hopped from one foot to the next in an attempt to contain his excitement when Matthew consented in being a dress up doll for the most part.

"Franny don't overdo it. I only have about forty minutes before we need to head out again," Gilbert called as he looked around for the usual chair Francis kept for customers who waited.

"Oui."

The next half hour, Matthew was herded into the changing room and passed clothing left and right to try different combinations until Francis found something he liked. Of course Gilbert made sure to keep Francis's attention on things that Matthew liked as well. For the most part, they kept the clothing style simple with several plaid shirts and jeans along with a few regular shirts and the red hoodie Matthew had liked. Francis attempted to get the shifter to wear a few other items which had looked profoundly adorable on Matthew, but Gilbert could tell the shifter was uncomfortable to say the least. So Francis gave up on trying to get him into a suit or into the tighter skinny jeans, but he made sure to show Matthew different outfits and gave the shifter pointers of what to put together for the future. Matthew seemed happy around the Frenchman, making Gilbert wonder if the two should hang out outside of Francis's work.

"Thanks again Franny," Gilbert said as he handed Matthew one of the three bags filled with clothes.

"It was not a problem, I assure you. Besides, he was adorable to dress up. I only wish I could put him into something more of designer type clothing besides the simple things he picked out," Francis said with a playful sigh as his eyes drifted toward Matthew who was examining the clothes at a nearby window, a bright smile on his face.

"Oi, don't get any ideas Franny. He's just an innocent kid still. Besides, my wallet thanks him for picking out simple things." Gilbert handed Francis his debit card as he took the remaining bags. With their hands already full with clothes perhaps it was best if they returned to the apartment and then headed back out to get the food.

"Non. Non. I would never do something he wouldn't consent to" Francis chuckled giving a wink as Matthew looked over at the two. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he has eyes on someone else at the moment."

"Oh? Who? It was just you and me in the-"

"Oui." Francis laughed before handing back the card. "But who am I to tell you? Best to wait till he says something."

"You obviously don't know anything about love Franny. He just mistook me for someone else is all and he just looks up to me. Li-like a little brother would, that's it. See, just like my West!" Gilbert laughed a little, but the smile he put on was tight and forced, nothing like his usual easy going grin.

"If you say so Gil. Just watch out when he confesses. Au revoir Mathieu."

"Au revoir." Matthew had wandered a bit towards the front of the store, looking out the large glass windows at the people walking past. "Is everyone always in a hurry?"

"Here in New York it sure seems that way, but not always. You've travelled so you should know that better than anyone." Gilbert patted Matthew gently on the head. It was a natural gesture and one Gilbert had meant to do since the moment the two had met. Matthew's hair looked soft and so easily played with.

"I guess. But I'm usually high up so I don't see what they're doing." Matthew leaned into the touch for a moment before stiffening. Gilbert took his hand away slowly in case it was because of his petting when he noticed Matthew had his eyes glued outside.

"What is it?" Gilbert scanned the area Matthew was looking. Nothing stuck out to him, but whatever or whoever was the cause of Matthew's stiffening, had the shifter shaking slightly beside him.

"Gil…"

Gilbert instinctively grabbed Matthew's hand, pulling him a little further back into the store. Francis gave him a questioning look but said nothing, instead he stared out the window to try and find the trouble. Even if Gilbert had not known Matthew in his human form for longer than a day or so, Gilbert knew he would have reacted the same way when that pleading voice broke at the one syllable. Whatever the danger, he would protect Matthew from it.

"What happened?" Francis had put a sign on the door declaring he was gone for lunch and locked the door. "No one can come in the door is locked."

Gilbert was glad Francis was so perceptive at times. He shrugged at the Frenchman who turned his attention to Matthew. The shifter held his hands closely to his chest. The trembling grew worse when there was a tug at the door, but it was well out of sight from the back of the store. Francis frowned refusing to move from his spot. Gilbert just hoped whoever it was would give up and go away.

"Vögelchen, you need to tell us what's going on. We can't help unless we know how." Gilbert placed a hand gently on Matthew's back, but it still startled the shifter terribly into a jump. "Mattie?"

"H-He…" Matthew closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once he released the shaky breath, he continued. "One of the men outside. He's known to hunt and kill shifters. I've seen him once or twice before but usually from the sky. I-I think he knows Gil."

"Shifter? Gilbert what have you gotten yourself into?" Francis placed his hands on his hips as if demanding an answer, but Gilbert shook his head.

"Later Franny. Right now we need to make sure Matthew feels safe otherwise—"

Matthew knew if he didn't calm down he would shift, but with the threat looming so close, it scared him. Gilbert could feel the thudding of Matthew's heart as he started rubbing soothingly on his back, but it made no difference. Matthew doubled over with a small grunt and started to shift.

"—he'll shift." Gilbert finished the sentence and backed up a bit. He held out his arm in front of Francis to stop him from trying to reach Matthew who was already shifting under the shirt and jeans. Within the minute, a rather puffed up bird sat shivering in the pile of clothes.

"Mon dieu! Gilbert, h-he changed into a bird." Francis stood there blinking at Matthew, unable to move.

"Ja. He's a shifter. Apparently they have those around the world." Gilbert shrugged as Francis bent down to get a closer look at Matthew, but kept his distance for the time being.

"Around the world?" Francis sounded just like a parrot which made Gilbert want to laugh, but more pressing matters needed to be discussed.

"Matthew, do you think he knows what you are?"

A small chirp and a nod of his head confirmed Gilbert's fear.

"But how?"

Matthew stayed silent. Gilbert took it to mean there was no answer to his question. If that was the case, it meant they were at a disadvantage.

"Well, he can't come in here at least. The door is locked and if he breaks it then I'll call the police. Mon Petite, you are so small. May I hold you?" Francis asked as he inched closer. Matthew gave a small nod, having come to trust the man after the shopping ordeal.

While Francis continued to fawn over Matthew, Gilbert made his way to the wall where he could peek and look at the door. Perhaps if he could see who was going to be 'hunting' Matthew then he could better protect the shifter, but alas there was no one at the door.

"He's gone. For now anyway." Gilbert turned to see Francis snuggling a small distressed ball of fluff against his cheek. "Franny!"

"He's so cute and soft. How did you find him?" Francis finally lowered Matthew who ruffled his feathers and chirped at Gilbert. "I suppose he wants you?"

Gilbert made his way over to Matthew and lowered his head a little as he had the day before. Matthew chirped his thanks as he climbed atop Gilbert's head and nestled in his hair. A bemused smile lit Francis's face as heat rose to Gilbert's cheek.

"What?" Gilbert asked as he folded his arms, just waiting for Francis to say anything demeaning.

"Nothing, I just think it's adorable how you two seem to understand each other so well. Now then, back to the matter at hand. You said he's gone?" Francis asked as he checked his watch.

"Ja. There was no one at the door and no one standing around as far as I could see. Maybe he thought he made a mistake or something? Whatever the case, he's gone." Gilbert picked up Matthew's clothes and started folding them. An apologetic chirp came from Gilbert's head. "No need to be sorry."

"Oui. By the way Gilbert, I want a full explanation of how you really found Matthew sometime, for now though I think it is best you take him home with how much he's been through. I can stop by later with dinner if you want." Francis held open one of the bags with Matthew's new clothes to help Gilbert put away the shifters old ones.

"Why are you helping so much?" Gilbert was taken aback by how quickly Francis had taken to Matthew's change. While the Francis and Gilbert held casual conversations in the store while Francis helped him pick out suits, it had by far never escalated beyond client and customer.

"Gilbert, are you seriously asking me this question? How can I allow sweet Matthew, who allowed me to dress him up as I pleased suddenly face this danger and live alone with you? He needs someone who can speak French and become his friend too."

While the offer seemed too sincere, Matthew chirped on top of Gilbert's head. Gilbert, who glanced up, but could not see the shifter, sighed. If Matthew thought it would be fine it meant they had nothing to fear from Francis. Not to mention since the change had occurred ahead of schedule thanks to this hunter, Gilbert had not been able to go shopping for food.

"Alles klar. When do you think you'll be over?" Gilbert asked as he took the three bags of clothes into his hands.

"I'll be there around seven thirty. Oh, will you be eating as well Matthew, as a human?" Francis's face nodded at whatever answer Matthew gave him. Gilbert guessed it would have been a yes since he would be well rested by the time Francis arrived.

"Bis dan." Gilbert realised as he grew more anxious towards Matthew and his well-being, he was slipping more and more into his native tongue. Francis nodded as the small group headed to the front of the store, where Francis unlocked the door and allowed them to leave.


	3. An American And A French Dinner

The stereos on the TV played soft music from the top 100 hundred songs from Germany thanks to the Spotify application he had downloaded on his laptop. With a small table placed next to the TV screen, Gilbert was able to hook up the laptop through an HDMI cable to play his favourite music instead of the rather America-centric music that normally played on the radio. Matthew seemed to enjoy a few songs, having trilled along, making Gilbert wonder just where Matthew had heard them on his travels. Regardless, having the lively Matthew around had done wonders to the usual drab apartment Gilbert came home to. Sadly though, the cleaning was slower than usual for Gilbert because of said lively bird.

"Vögelchen, you need to find a different place sit instead of on my head. I can't bend down to pick something up if you make a fuss every time." Gilbert screwed his eyes shut as Matthew pulled slightly at his hair when Gilbert bent down to pick up a pair of pants.

Before Matthew had graced him with his human presence, Gilbert had slowly lost his usual urge to keep the place tidy. Instead, he threw clothes down wherever he pleased, or let the dishes piled up. Now he had a reason to keep everything in its place once more. He knew Matthew had no intention of being a hindrance or hurting him, but if the apartment was to be cleaned before Francis arrived with dinner, Matthew needed another place to perch. Gilbert could feel a huff in his hair before the small Warbler flitted to the couch where a small gathering of pillows and a sweatshirt served as his nest of sorts.

"Danke. My hair appreciates it." Gilbert ran a hand through his white hair, finding a few feathers dislodged but only shook his head. Did birds shed their feathers like cats and dogs shed their fur? He would have look up a little more information about birds sometime considering for the time being Matthew would be a bird for most of the day until he was stronger in shifting. "By the way, Francis should be here in about twenty minutes. You might want to start thinking about changing your form soon."

Matthew glanced at the clock, ruffling his feathers for a moment before taking flight once more this time to the second bedroom. Gilbert had placed Matthew's clothes in there for the time being, but the room was still used as a sort of office space. He would have to go out and buy a few pieces of furniture for the poor thing later. In the meantime though, Matthew could use Gilbert's bed. At least the couch was comfortable enough to sleep on he mused. As Gilbert continued to clean the living room, he caught the glimpse of a flustered human face belonging to Matthew before the door to the room promptly shut.

"For someone who changes from a bird to a human, he sure is self-conscious. I wonder if it's because feathers act like clothing." Gilbert shrugged his shoulders as he shifted the recliner chair over a few inches till it was straight again before he dusted off his hands. "There, that should just about do it. I'll need to get the plates out and some other things."

Whistling merrily, he opened up the cabinet in the kitchen to pull out plates. Just as he was setting everything on the table, a knock came from the door. Gilbert checked the clock to see Francis still had another ten minutes before he was supposed arrive, and the Frenchman never arrived on time to anything. It was then Matthew poked his head out of the bedroom door, purple eyes wide. He frantically shook his head at Gilbert, who paused in his trek to the door. Raising an eyebrow, Gilbert waited for Matthew to explain. Matthew stayed quiet, fear clearly written on his face.

"Vögel—"

The knock on the door came again this time a little more aggressive than before.

"I'm coming!" Gilbert frowned at the door before turning to find Matthew had come out of the room, edging his way closer to Gilbert. "What's wrong? Is it the guy from early?"

Matthew shook his head. "I-it's my brother."

Gilbert blinked for a moment. Another pounding came at his door, but he ignored it in favour of Matthew wringing his hands together. He had to think fast. Gilbert knew what it meant to be a big brother and if Ludwig would have been staying at some stranger's house, he would probably be banging on their door too. Still, from what Gilbert could gather, Matthew's brother made a lot decisions for the two of them. Taking Matthew's hand in a very slow and deliberate manner so as to not frighten the poor bird, he gave it a pat. He wore his usual grin.

"I won't let him take you away if that's not what you want. Remember, you have a home here now too." Gilbert watched Matthew's eye grow once again as tears started to prick his eyes. "Hey now, no crying. If he sees you with tears it will be harder to convince him to let you stay."

Matthew nodded, wiping away the tears. "Kay."

The two walked the small distance to the door, Matthew hiding behind Gilbert, which was rather comically since Gilbert was shorter than Matthew. Just as Gilbert was about to open the door, the person on the other side pounded once more and called out Matthew's name. Cursing, Gilbert opened the door.

"Verdammt, I said I was coming. Geez, what the hell do you want?" Gilbert's German accent thickened a little with his irritation.

"Yo, I know you have my brother. Hand him over before I totally kick your ass. I told him humans were no good." A young American stood in front of his door, both hands raised as if ready to throw a punch.

"Woah, calm down. Matthew is right here and unharmed." Gilbert leaned against the door a little to reveal Matthew. "See. If you wanted to see him, all you had to do was ask nicely."

"A-Al-Alfred!" Matthew squeaked when he was revealed a bit more before burying his face into Gilbert's back.

"Mattie! Thank god, I thought you were going to be turned into an experiment or something. What did I tell you about going with humans?" Alfred barrelled his way through the doorway, completely ignoring Gilbert, who glared at him, mouth slightly agape.

"What the hell? You need permission to enter someone's—"

"Can it German. You can't hold Mattie against his will and you aren't taking him to get experimented on!" Alfred grabbed at Matthew's arm as Gilbert stood there shocked. Shaking his head, he cleared it to see Matthew trying to get out of Alfred's grip.

"Stop that!" Gilbert stepped in the way once more, glaring the boy down. "Like I've been trying to tell you, I'm not going to send him anywhere. He's a guest in my home. Now if you don't calm down and actually listen I'll have to use some force."

"Gil." Matthew bunched up Gilbert's shirt where he held on.

"I won't hurt him." Gilbert glared at Alfred, who glared back with a pair cerulean eyes.

"Ha, as if you could hurt me. I'm a hero for saving Mattie and you're obviously the bad guy." Alfred puffed out his chest a little with pride.

The two stood on guard, Gilbert taking in the American. He wore torn up jeans, a white t-shirt, and the usual converse shoes Gilbert saw most of the young adult population wearing. What caught Gilbert off guard was the jacket he wore; a bomber jacket from World War II belonging to an aviator. It was strange to see someone so young in the possession of such a jacket. The jacket certainly contrasted the loose button-up shirt Gilbert wore and the rather nice dress pants since he had not changed out of work clothes.

"Mon dieu Gilbert. You didn't mention someone else would be coming for dinner." Francis stood in the doorway, bags in his hands filled with food if the smell was anything to go by. Alfred glanced back, fear obvious in his cerulean eyes, yet the large growl coming from his stomach claimed he was hungry.

"Go ahead and set up Franny. The plates are mostly set up." Gilbert glanced at Matthew to gesture with his eyes for Matthew to help Francis. He happily rushed towards Francis to help with the many bags as Gilbert and Alfred continued to stare. "Care to do this the civilised way?"

"And have you send me off to some lab? I know what you Germans do to people who are different. I don't know why you're on their side when you're one of us." Alfred's voice was low, probably because of the appearance of Francis.

"What are you talking about? Everything that you've said so far hasn't made any sense." Gilbert sighed at having to deal with such a nuisance when all he wanted was dinner. The smell of roasted meat filled the apartment, making Gilbert's mouth water.

"I've seen it on TV. You experiment on people who are different than you. You can't fool me and you're not going to fool Mattie either." Alfred kept glancing between Gilbert and the table being set up with food when suddenly a very large growl came from the shifter.

"I don't know what you've been watching on TV, but most of that stuff is garbage anyway. Look, if you're hungry just sit at the table. You can then see for yourself I don't want to do anything to Matthew except make sure he's comfortable here. So truce over food." Gilbert didn't even bother to wait for a response as he closed the door to his apartment and headed to grab another plate. "Matthew, could you grab the chair from the other room?"

When Gilbert glanced back, he saw Alfred still standing there as if he was unsure of what to do next. Gilbert rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. A smirk graced his lips as he nudged Francis.

"Who is that?" Francis asked, taking the lid off another dish.

"Apparently Matthew's brother. Go bring him to the table, I'll get drinks. Do you want beer or wine?"

"Beer is fine if that's what you're having." Francis stated as he ran a hand through his blonde locks, pouring on as much charm as he could. "Mon cher, you should come sit at the table. There's plenty of food."

Gilbert could hear the weak protests as he opened the fridge to grab two beers and two bottles of water for the shifters. The atmosphere was alive in the apartment like it never had been before. For the longest time it had only been him and the silence when he came home from work. Now, the air was filled with conversation and a lively feeling. It was almost as if he was back at home among friends and his family. Perhaps having Matthew around was the best thing that ever happened to him. Determined now more than ever, Gilbert was going to make sure whoever this shifter hunter was would never get his hands on Matthew.

"Gil?" Matthew's head poked into the kitchen, startling him. "Francis says he's waiting."

"Coming." Gilbert put on an easy smile as he passed out the drinks and sat down. Matthew sat close to him, Francis and Alfred across from them.

The tense air could be cut with a knife. No one spoke, only staring at the food on the table. Matthew fidgeted in his seat. Francis, glanced between Alfred and Gilbert. Alfred continued to glare at Gilbert, who promptly ignored him since there was just no use trying to get through Alfred's head with words. Gilbert would just have to show him how Matthew was comfortable and considered this place a home.

"So, Matthew's brother, my name is Francis Bonnefoy. I met your brother earlier today, but I'm old friends with Gilbert over here. Helped him get the proper attire for working at a business." Francis said he started cutting the meat, the aroma filling the room.

"Nice to meet ya," Alfred said, cautious as Francis handled the knife.

Gilbert sighed, wondering when the American would let go of his fear. It only served to make Matthew more nervous than he already was, and Francis felt the tension, only trying to break with some small talk. He wanted to just tell Francis to ignore Alfred, but that would have been rude and would not help him win over Alfred. Although why he wanted to win over Matthew's brother gave him pause in his actions of holding out his plate for Francis to put food on it.

"Since Alfred is here and you said you were going to explain to me what happened, why not tell both of us the story? Perhaps then Alfred will see you are not such a monster." Francis suggested as he helped Matthew put a few items on the plate, containing mostly vegetables and other vegetarian like foods.

"Nothing is going to change my mind. Matthew belongs with his own kind who aren't going to hurt—"

"Al, he's not a shifter! I thought so too, b-but it turned out I was wrong." Matthew's voice grew softer from the initial interruption, as he slowly shrunk back in his seat.

Alfred sat still in his chair, blinking at Matthew for a moment before springing up and knocking over his chair. "What do you mean he's not one of us? He has strange hair and his eyes? Dude, if he's not one of us then-then I'll—"

"I'm not," Gilbert said, not even batting an eyelash as he sipped the beer. "Matthew thought so too."

"Gil, why not start from the beginning mon cher."

"Ja, alright. So I homesick and wanted to get fresh air. I took my lunch and sat on a bench at the park every day. Matthew at the time would just stay at a distance, but as I saw him every day, I just started talking to him. I told him all sorts of stories, from my brother back home, or even some about work. Then one day he just wasn't there and I thought I had lost my one friend."

Francis looked a little hurt as he scoffed at Gilbert, who only waved his hand, dismissing the Frenchman to continue his story.

"But when I thought I was alone, he showed up as a human, took the food I normally feed him as a bird and told me how he was a shifter. He thought I was too because of my hair and eyes, but as I explained to him, I'm what you call an albino. I've always had this colour hair and eyes. I felt bad that he thought I was one of you and so I let him stay at my place."

Gilbert shrugged, leaving out a few of the details, seeing no need for Alfred to know about the few adventures the two of them had. Francis nodded, looking between the two as Matthew kept his focus on the plate in front of him, pushing a piece of corn with his fork, around the table. A blush forming across his cheeks. Alfred on the other hand sat with brows knitted in deep thought.

"S-So...So you're not one of us, but you didn't turn in Mattie?" Alfred seemed sceptical about the whole ordeal.

"Oui, he did not. In fact, just today he saved your brother from some horrible man who was hu-"

"Francis!' Matthew's amethyst eyes were wide as he shook his head wildly. "Please, don't."

Francis nodded, reaching for his beer to keep himself busy.

"Save you from who Mattie?" Alfred asked, eyes narrowed at his brother, putting Gilbert on edge.

"From someone he didn't want close to him." Gilbert provided the half lie with ease, hoping Matthew would let it slide for the time being.

"Who? I'll kick their ass for messing with you Mattie." Alfred cracked his knuckles, earning a bit of disgusted look from Francis.

"Mon cher, please do not do that at the table. You are a guest and it's rather rude." Francis watched as Alfred just stared at him, taken aback for being reprimanded. Matthew gave a small giggle, a smile returning on his face since Alfred had shown up. "Now, mon petit, I do have a question for you. What are you going to do while Gil is away doing his job?"

"He's not staying." Alfred folded his arms in protest, but was promptly ignored.

"I-um...I'm not sure."

"Fantastique! You can come and help me at my shop. What do you say?" Francis clapped his hands in delight as Gilbert sputtered out the beer.

"Now hold on. What do you mean help at your shop? He can barely stay human for more than a few hours." Gilbert was not liking how this dinner was turning out. First Alfred showed up unannounced, which had already bothered the Prussian, and now Francis was attempting to get Matthew a job?

"A job?" Matthew's interest was piqued, making Gilbert curse under his breath. Of course the French bastard would suddenly put an idea such as a job in his head.

"Franny, he's just a kid. He shouldn't be working, but rather enjoying the world." Gilbert said, watching Alfred just gape at Francis for a moment.

"No way! He's not working like some slave for you. I don't know what you do, but-"

"Alfred, he sells clothes. He helped me pick out a lot of what I...own now."

Gilbert felt pride swell in his chest as he heard Matthew claim the clothes for himself. Of course they were his, but to have Matthew state it as well reassured Gilbert Mathew wanted to be here. Giving Alfred a smug smile, Gilbert added another a point on his side of the scores he kept in his head. At this rate Gilbert was going to win without actually having to do anything but be himself.

"What you own? Dude, they're turning you into a house pet. How do you know they won't just keep you when you want to leave?" Alfred asked, his cerulean eyes pleading with Matthew.

"Al, they are nothing like the guy you befriended. They...They saved me when  _he_  showed up. You know, the one Kuma warned us about." Matthew whispered the last bit as Alfred stood up from his chair, shaking.

"No. How the hell did he find you?"

"I don't know." Matthew shrunk lower in his seat as Alfred's anger grew. Gilbert was not going to let Alfred belittle Matthew like that.

"That's enough. You are his brother, you shouldn't shout at him. If anything you should be hugging him and making sure he's okay." Gilbert glared at Alfred, who stared at Matthew, who had Francis comfort him by patting his arm and soothing him. "It wasn't his fault this guy showed up. Francis and I kept him safe, so I don't even think this guy even knows what Matthew looks like. So calm down."

"What do you know about this? You're not one of us! He doesn't need to know what we look like or who we are. He just knows and then goes after us one by one. No one who's seen this hunter has actually come back." Alfred's breathing grew more laboured with every word. He took a moment to compose himself. "Matthew I don't want to fight. He's right, we are brothers. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Al, as long as you can accept that some humans are different. Some actually don't care what you are, but rather just care about you." Matthew looked tired, his eyes shone with unshed tears. Gilbert wanted to hug the shifter and never him go, but knew what Matthew needed at the moment was to toughen up just a tad. If they were going to face this 'hunter' life was going to get a little tougher.

"I still don't trust them, but I'll give 'em a chance. One chance only." Matthew brightened up at the prospect, Gilbert smiled softly until Alfredo continued. "So I'll be staying with you until I can make certain nothing is going to happen to you."

"Was? Oh nein. I already have Matthew staying here and I'm on the couch. I'm not having another shifter here only to kick me off my couch too." Gilbert turned to Francis who started laughing at the curious predicament they were all in.

"I can solve that. Alfred, stay with me. I have a guest bed that a college friend of mine uses when he gets drunk. He's not in the area so you can have it for the time being." Francis sat back in his chair, sipping the beer. The food had mostly gone unnoticed through the altercation.

"Gut. Ja, stay with Franny" Gilbert grinned, feeling a victory on his side.

"And let you potentially corrupt my brother? No way." Alfred crossed his arms. "I'm staying where Matthew is."

Gilbert groaned. Why was Matthew's brother so stubborn? "Look, kid. I don't have the room for three people. Not until I fix up the room I've been using as an office and turn it into a bedroom. Stay with Franny until I have the room ready."

Of course the room was going to be for Matthew so Gilbert would get his back. If Alfred decided he wanted to stay, he would get the couch then. He knew Alfred probably wouldn't like that arrangement either but Gilbert didn't really mind. Yet the smug smile on Gilbert's face turned into a frown slowly when he glanced at Matthew. The poor shifter was torn between choosing family or Gilbert. Sighing and rubbing his hair, Gilbert nodded his head.

"Why don't you and Matthew share the bed? I'll stay on the couch until I can get the second bedroom set up again." All three looked at Gilbert. What could he say? He couldn't bear to see Matthew so torn on what to do and as a guest Gilbert had the duty to make sure Matthew was taken care of, even if it meant he had to deal with Alfred. It was his Prussian pride on the honour of being a good host.

"Are you sure about this Gil?" Francis asked as Matthew sat there, mouth gaping shock.

"Ja. I can see this whole arguing is bad for Vögelchen and I want him to be happy here. If Alfred stays here maybe he can see we're not going to hurt him."

Gilbert leaned back in his chair, his usual grin on his face. He would just have to show Alfred there was nothing he was not willing to do for Matthew. Maybe then Alfred would leave Matthew alone and go back to whoever he had been with originally. Alfred sat with a stunned look on his face, making Gilbert's victory that much sweeter. He knew how brothers worked, he was one. All it took was a little compromise.

"One thing. If you stay, you need to help around here. I don't care if that means you get a part-time job like Matthew just did, or you just do the chores around the house. I can't have two shifters here and buying food for the three of us without some sort of help." Gilbert pointed as Alfred quickly nodded, the shock still imminent considering he had to actually speak.

"Gil, you don't have to-"

"It's okay Matthew. I can see having Alfred around is important to you, even if he did leave you to be on your own. But if you're going to get a part-time job with Franny, I think it only fair that Alfred helps out too."

"I've got a job lined up, I just wanted to make sure that Matthew was okay first. And what are you talking about? I didn't leave him on his own. I said we should start looking into settling down with our own nests, but then he doesn't even follow migration." Alfred shook his head as Matthew's shoulder rose in response, as if he was about to sprout feathers and ruffle them up in frustration.

"You left me for some chick Alfred. You didn't even make sure that I was ready to leave or anything. So I stayed with Kuma when you didn't come back after a while. He taught me all sorts of things from shifting to blending in with the humans. He even said maybe the humans have changed enough to where we could live among them again. So when you didn't come back I decided to go out on my own and that's when I saw Gilbert. I thought maybe if he showed me the ropes of blending into society I would be okay. He's still doing that even though he's not one of us."

Matthew crossed his arms, the one curl bouncing as he spoke passionately about Alfred's abandonment. Gilbert couldn't blame him. If he had ever left Ludwig, he would kick himself after he let Ludwig do it. Brothers were meant to look after each other. Alfred seemed to shrink as Matthew continued on his lecture, physically cringing at certain parts. There was truth to what Matthew had to say, not that Gilbert doubted him, but it was nice to see that Alfred understood his position in Matthew's new situation. Francis placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder, a fond smile on his lips.

"Why don't we eat before dinner gets too cold?" Francis, ever the truce maker. Gilbert shook his head, a playful grin on his face before digging into the food on his plate once more, not feeling as angry or slighted about Alfred suddenly showing up.

"Okay." Matthew looked down at his plate. Gilbert could see the gleam of triumph in the shifter's amethyst eyes.

The rest of dinner was fairly quiet, Alfred resigned himself to only speaking when someone asked him a question. At first it didn't bother Gilbert, but slowly as he recalled bits of the conversation, he had to wonder. Was there another side of the story that Alfred wasn't telling? It seemed strange that Alfred, who was overprotective of Matthew, would act the way Matthew had said, and yet, Alfred did not deny the words. Was there some other story that he was not telling? The thought stuck to Gilbert as he made pleasantries with Francis, who suggested the two go out drinking with Antonio sometime. Gilbert only nodded, not sure if he really wanted to grab drinks with the two. He chalked it up to being just nervous about going out and having some fun after a long time. Whatever was leftover, Francis told the three they could keep for the next night. Gilbert was thankful considering that both Matthew and Alfred had eaten rather large portions. If this kept up it was going to be hell to keep them both fed. Gilbert managed to eat the plate in front of him, otherwise he just nursed his beer and ate a piece of the cake Francis had brought for dessert.

"Who knew you would bring a full course meal Franny." Gilbert said as the Frenchman cut the cat into pieces.

"Well, my mother was a baker and so I learned all my cooking tips from her. She was quite talented. Alas, her poor shop did not make here in America. Too many Americans want to rush around and never sit down long enough to actually enjoy their coffee and pastry." Francis shrugged as he passed around the plates for each.

"...Thanks. For the meal and for letting me stay." Alfred spoke softly, almost as if he was afraid to speak the words, to let his heroic facade down among the humans.

"You're welcome. I promise you won't get as great a dinner anywhere else," Francis said proudly. Gilbert wanted to laugh. The kid was buttering Francis up, why he had no idea, but it was rather interesting to see this side. When Gilbert glanced at Matthew, a small smile was on his face. Ah, so this was the Alfred Matthew knew. Not that macho nothing but muscle to back up his words.

"Not so hard right? I would have been more inclined to let you stay the first time around if you had actually listened to us in the first place." Gilbert decided he would make sure to teach both of them how to live among the humans, not just Matthew. "You can't go around accusing people of sending others for experimentations. Although, I do have to wonder, where the hell did you learn about all that?"

"From a television. Where we lived up north, there was this old guy who had his television set up so that we could see it through the window. Most of the shows were black and white, but somewhere in colour. I learned all about the war and how the Germans experimented on others."

Gilbert burst out laughing. Alfred had learned about the world through old war shows. No wonder he wore the jacket and acted as if being from Germany was a sure sign of being evil. Francis gave Alfred and apologetic look as Matthew looked rather confused along with Alfred.

"What's so funny?" Alfred finally asked, after Gilbert clutched his sides from laughing too much.

"Kid, with what you know, you could live in the 40s. But in today's world, that war isn't happening anymore. It ended over fifty years ago. Look, yes Germany and the Axis did some awful things to people, and we're now trying to redeem ourselves. It's illegal to experiment on people today and we don't go around hauling people off to camps either. Trust me, not everyone during the war was on the bandwagon with Hitler." Gilbert sighed, running his hand through his hair. "My grandfather, he helped hide a few people during that time. Some officials found out and left him paralyzed from the waist down. His lover, well thankfully they hadn't found out he was homosexual too, otherwise I don't think he would be alive. So I understand, one of the guys we saved was a friend of mine. He's happily married and still alive you know. I used to go to his concerts as a kid."

"So… I don't have to worry about you trying to do something awful to Mattie?" Alfred turned to watch Matthew, who sat there, enraptured with the small background story.

"If I wanted to do something to him, I would have already done it." Gilbert shrugged, figuring it was enough of an answer as any.

"I'm sorry. I thought- No, never mind. Thanks again, I guess I have a lot to learn too and stop calling me kid. I'm almost twenty!"

Gilbert laughed once more, happy to see the misunderstanding cleared up. The four cleared away the dishes and bade Francis a good night. As he turned to his guests, he noticed Matthew yawned, shaking his body as if he were fluffing out his feathers, ready for bed. Alfred followed suit with the yawn, but was more adept at his human to know better than to shake it. Gilbert smiled fondly at Matthew.

"Alright, time for Vögelchen to change and get some sleep. I'll grab the extra duvet for Alfred." Gilbert patted Matthew's head as the shifter nodded and trudged off to the room, Alfred in tow. "Well, I suppose I got what I asked for. Friends and a not so boring apartment."

When he entered the room, he found Matthew and Alfred fast asleep, curled up next to each other on the pillows or rather Alfred encompassing Matthew with his much larger body, wings drawn around Matthew as if trying to offer him protection. Gilbert wondered how often the two of them slept like that, Alfred as protector. Matthew the yellow warbler, and Alfred a rather large bald eagle. Although he did question how the hell a warbler and a bald eagle were related. He shook his head, slowly shifting Alfred's wings as the shifter stirred, confusion apparent in his beady eyes, until he saw the duvet in his hands. Cooing at Gilbert, he shuffled a little, mindful of Matthew so Gilbert could comfortably place the duvet around the two birds.

"You have your own side to the story. I want to hear it when you're ready to say it." Gilbert made sure the two were comfortable before heading out to the couch to curl up and sleep himself. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.


End file.
